Champion for Dementia Kerry Prendergast becomes Dame
Congratulations to Champion for Dementia Kerry Prendergast, who became a Dame in the 2019 New Year honours list.
Kerry was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2011, and was Mayor of Wellington from 2001 to 2010.
Appointed for services to governance and the community, Kerry’s community roles have included seven years as chair of Tourism New Zealand. Kerry is also on the boards of the New Zealand Film Commission, the New Zealand Conservation Authority, Wellington Free Ambulance and is a Patron of Mary Potter Hospice.
In addition to this, Kerry is also a Trustee of the Victoria University Foundation, New Zealand Community Trust and the National Women’s Health Research Centre.
Among her many voluntary roles in the community, Kerry also took on the position of Champion for Dementia in 2015.
Kerry’s association with dementia is a personal one. Her father passed away from dementia in 2005, and Kerry’s mother has recently been diagnosed with vascular dementia, so another journey is beginning for her family.
Kerry said she had “cried a bit” when she read the letter from the Governor General’s notice of her appointment.
Kerry joins Alzheimers Whanganui President Margaret Campion in this year’s honours list, who has received a Queen’s Service Medal for three decades of community work supporting people living with dementia in Whanganui.
Kerry and Margaret will receive their awards in ceremonies later this year.